My Heart Took Flight
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day three hundred and forty-five: Emma thinks of her feelings for Will as they shop for her wedding dress.


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 16th cycle. Now cycle 17!_

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**"My Heart Took Flight"  
Will/Emma **

She had felt butterflies in her stomach all the way to the store. Shopping for that dress was already something, but then she wasn't alone. And of all people for her to have brought along, to shop for the dress she'd wear to walk down the aisle and marry Ken Tanaka, she never would have thought it'd be Will… She'd been carrying this impossible little dream that when she went shopping for that dress, it'd be to walk down the aisle to him. But that couldn't be; he was married, and for the foreseeable future, it would remain as such. Every time she thought that though, part of her felt bad. She didn't see herself as settling for Ken, but she knew some people would see it that way… like Ken himself.

But then she really didn't have anyone else around whose opinion she would trust, the way she trusted Will's. She'd figured she'd ask him, and if he said no it'd be just fine, she'd understand, would almost prefer it somehow.

But he said yes, so that was that. They set up to go during their lunch break, and off they'd gone. She would end up trying on four dresses. The first made her feel lost in fabric; the second was simply not going to be seen by anyone but herself because she'd miscalculated the neckline; the third was simply too restrictive. And then the fourth… she wouldn't just go and spell it out like that, but when the salesgirl suggested the gloves it just clinched it.

The look on Will's face when he saw it… that was even more of a selling point. She tried not to let herself get lost in the moment, but then will hardly made it easy… He offered practicing the dance, in this new dress. She wasn't going to sing, like he'd suggested, but then he went and took her hand and… she instantly felt weightless, like she'd been carried off into a dream… and in that dream, she could do anything… sing, dance, forget about everything except her and Will in this moment.

It had seemed for a while that she'd never meet anyone that would make her heart flutter with the kind of love she'd dreamed of since she was a little girl. They all seemed… wrong, like they couldn't possibly understand her. No matter. What happened, she just ended up right where she'd started.

Then she'd met Will, her Prince Charming, and for one fleeting moment, she had believed she'd finally reached the end of the race, and she was about to cross the finish line, everything good and fine. It only took a moment, and she knew… So she thought. But then, she'd seen it… wedding ring… wed… unavailable.

And as though the moment had closed itself with that revelation, Emma found herself carrying that moment with her. Despite what she knew, that idea was too bright with power to just die away. Maybe it was delusion, letting herself hold on to something like that, but she couldn't bring herself to accept it. She just went on protecting that love in her heart.

It seemed more foolish than brave sometimes, especially after it was revealed that his wife was pregnant. More and more it was being shown all she'd ever be was 'the other woman;' she'd only ever be left wanting and not having.

So she'd opened to Ken Tanaka. He was not what she'd planned, but he cared for her… that had to mean something. Still, it didn't put out the light of her bright bit of hope… it made her more yearning. And if her own feelings weren't enough, Will wasn't exactly leaving her unprovoked. He'd smile at her and she'd melt. He'd call on her for help and she'd run, she'd hop, she'd fly… and then he offered his hand for a dance, and she sang.

He really was it… it, the dream, everything she'd waited for. He was a rare breed in this school, one who cared for the kids, not just in the moment, but for their dreams… He would make mistakes sometimes, only human, but he'd get back on track… She was there to see to it, too. She would feel like she was a part of something with him, and dancing around that dress shop, that was so clear.

That was why she couldn't give up so easily. Foolish, hopeful, brave, flying, that was her heart and she wouldn't have it any other way. It was who she was, deep down and all over.

THE END

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**_[A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, story alert won't get you anything! ;)]_**


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